Post submitted by James K. Rector, HRC Arkansas Field Organizer

HRC Arkansas is proud to be part of a coalition of organizations working to expand opportunities of social and racial justice under the guidance and direction of the Arkansas Public Policy Panel and its sister organization, the Citizens First Congress.

Since 1963, the Arkansas Public Policy Panel has worked to advance social and economic justice through respect for human dignity, diversity, empowerment and an inclusive, fair and transparent political process. The Arkansas Citizens First Congress is a multi-issue, non-partisan coalition of more than 50 organizations that work together to create progressive changes in state policy. Coalition members come from all corners of Arkansas to work on a variety of issues.

The goals of this coalition are:

• To build a broad coalition of marginalized communities and allies;
• Expose and dismantle systems of exclusion;
• Build public support to reform institutional policies and practices that constrain opportunity for marginalized communities; and
• To improve relationships across racial and cultural barriers to create more inclusive and effective alliances.

Through organizing people of color, building coalitions, developing policy and documenting these goals, this campaign will help create inclusive opportunities for social and racial justice work in the Natural State.

One of the first steps for the coalition involves holding community conversations with an advisory committee and working with Race Forward: The Center for Racial Justice Innovation to hold public education programming to ensure the long-term success of the campaign. This multi-year campaign will focus specifically on developing leadership and mobilizing marginalized communities in the South.   

For more information about how you can get involved with race equity work in Arkansas and be a part of the coalition, contact James K. Rector, HRC Arkansas Field Organizer, at james.rector@hrc.org.